Jessica Willingham, RN, BSN, administrator at the Freda H. Gordon Hospice and Palliative Care of Tidewater, achieved certification as a Hospice and Palliative Care Administrator last month from the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses (NBCHPN®).
Willingham is a 2007 graduate from Arkansas State University, where she obtained her bachelor of science in nursing. She is a member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) and the National Council of Hospice and Palliative Professionals (NCHPP).
In February 2012, she joined Freda H. Gordon Hospice and Palliative Care of Tidewater as the administrator and has developed the joint venture between Beth Sholom Home and Jewish Family Service into a successful agency caring for those at end of life.
“As a hospice nurse, I have always enjoyed the one-on-one care with patients and families,” says Willingham. “Not many people get to be a part of something from the ground up. We have touched the lives of over 300 individuals and their families while successfully carrying out our mission to provide the comprehensive physical, emotional and spiritual care, promoting the highest quality of living for those suffering from a life-limiting illness.”
NBCHPN® is the only organization that offers specialty certification for all levels of hospice and palliative nursing care, administrators and perinatal loss care professionals. Each certification is valid for four years.
In 2007, NBCHPN® initiated the development of a hospice and palliative certification exam for administrators. There are currently more than 250 administrators who hold the CHPCA® credential. Willingham is one of five people in the state of Virginia and the only individual in Tidewater to achieve this certification.
“Obtaining this certification was important to me because it shows not only my professional commitment to safe, ethical and evidence-based care, but it also reflects the high standards of our agency,” says Willingham.
To learn more about care at end of life or more about Freda H. Gordon Hospice and Palliative Care of Tidewater call 757-321-2242 or visit www.hpctidewater.com.